Friday, February 17, 2012

Archbishop Oscar Romero’s February 17, 1980 sermon on the Beatitudes, the first of his last seven sermons before his martyrdom, was three sermons in one: The first part of it recapped a powerful exegesis on the political dimension of the Faith, which he had delivered at Leuven University in Belgium, earlier that month. The second part was a full-throated denunciation of social injustice, which included a recitation of his letter to U.S. President Jimmy Carter, requesting the cancellation of military aid to El Salvador. And the third part—which we will focus on here—was his message to the poor and to the advocates of the poor.

Romero began by expounding on Jesus’ message, “Blessed are you who are poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.” (Luke 6:20.) He cited the Latin American Bishop’s post-Conciliar pronouncement at Medellin, Colombia, in which they described poverty as an accusation, a spirit and a commitment. The Gospel itself supported the view that poverty is an accusation, Romero said, when Jesus also says, “woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.” (Luke 6:24.) He explained poverty as a spirit by recounting the historical context and sufferings of Israel as a continually exploited and downtrodden people, and he spoke of poverty as a commitment by highlighting the persecution that the allies and defenders of the poor are exposed to—including, in El Salvador.

Most people who have heard anything about this sermon have probably only heard about Romero’s letter to Pres. Carter—which he read aloud—asking the U.S. to withhold military aid to El Salvador. Romero said that modest aid given that year had already led to a steep spike in repression, which he detailed. He warned against plans for U.S. military advisors to train three Salvadoran battalions. Those battalions would have to be dismantled a decade later, due to their notorious human rights records (See, El Mozote massacre). And he denounced a failed attempt against the Jesuits—whose eventual assassination hastened the end of the war a decade later.

Overlooked by Romero students is the fact that a large part of this sermon, as others, is aimed at the popular organizations of the Left. “One of the most urgent needs of the pastoral ministry of the Archdiocese is a pastoral of accompaniment” of the opposition, he said, “so that they can mature in the faith and from the perspective of the faith live out their political commitment,” and stay “rooted in the eternal resurrection of the Lord and in the redemption of the human person from sin.” Then, turning to the groups directly, he said, “Hopefully you will not look down upon the Church when, from the perspective of faith, She speaks out against your imperfections, your abuses, your strategies, and the limitations of your political groups.”

Romero’s critique of the Left began with the analysis of the Gospel message. “The poverty that Jesus Christ here sanctifies,” he said, “is not simply a material poverty.” But rather, “It is a poverty that awakens consciousness, a poverty that accepts the cross and sacrifice” (See, Romero’s Transfiguration Theology). “Therefore we become holy according to the degree to which ... we hand ourselves over to the Lord and show our openness to God,” he argued. “Jesus’ redemption points out,” he said, “that all earthly liberators are lacking—that is, they are incomplete as long as they do not free sinners from sin.” Then, offering a new take on the Sermon on the Mount, Romero proclaimed, “Blessed are they who struggle to achieve the political liberation of the world and who are also mindful of redemption that saves people from sin and death.” Putting politics in a transcendent context, he said that, “The great liberation is that of Christ and those who incorporate the struggle for the liberation of people into their faith ... are guaranteed an integral, complete and immortal liberation.” But those who “only struggle for temporal realities, for better wages, for lower prices, for a change of government, for a change of structures that tomorrow will be old structures,” he said, they will attain a liberation that is incomplete.

Christians working in political organizations striving to liberate the poor are obligated to live the “spiritual poverty [which] is the theme of the poor of Yahweh,” and requires abiding by godly values. “Thanks to God, there are many people who are doing this,” he said. “[T]hose who are members of popular political organizations,” and “who participate in the Christian community in order to nourish their struggle with faith ... are on the right path.” But, others, he warned, “have lost their faith and, as a consequence, have mutilated that which is primary.” He encouraged those who kept the faith, but he scolded those who strayed: “I want to say that we defend the right of people to organize and we esteem your effort for unity and openness,” he said, “but we repudiate the tactics of certain grassroots groups who appear to act without consulting with their leaders.”

Ab. Romero then listed specific practices of the Left that he decried, such as taking hostages. “What right do you have to deprive another human being of freedom?,” he demanded. “I have witnessed the suffering of many hostages and their families, especially when some of these hostages are ill and need to be cared for.” He lamented the kidnapping of an Argentine citizen and noted the offer of another conational to take his place: “All this would be unnecessary if the protagonists in these actions had human feelings,” he denounced. Then he called for “popular military organizations ... to return to the respectable paths of rationality, of human dignity,” and desist from “abductions, threats and exacting of vengeance.” The Pope, he reminded them, had preached against the use of violence, “even on those whom someone judges blameworthy.”

He also disapproved of the practice of taking over buildings—especially, churches: “In the name of the religious sentiments of my people,” he said, with obvious frustration, “for the good of the poor and of my people, I beg the directors of the organizations that today are occupying church buildings to come by to dialogue with me or with those responsible for the buildings.” As far as churches are concerned, he said, “These buildings are temples of prayer for our people, whose Christian sentiments deserve at least as much consideration as the objectives of those occupying the buildings.” He also noted that the various groups often act at cross purposes with one another, and often thwart the Church’s particular efforts, thus their actions, in addition to demonstrating political immaturity, were also harmful to the cause of the poor.

“I want you to see,” he said, “that my denunciations have only one purpose: we want to be a holy people, we want a government that truly understands people who are poor; we want a political system that acts on behalf of the well being of our people and those who are poor.” He concluded, “In this way we can repeat with Jesus: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God’.”

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

An American lawyer who contributed to the U.N. Truth Commission report about war crimes during the Salvadoran Civil War told a Salvadoran newspaper that he is confident that the Commission’s finding that Roberto d’Aubuisson was the intellectual author of the Romero assassination would hold up in court.

EL FARO newsmagazine interviewed Douglass Cassel, a Notre Dame University Law School Professor and former American Bar Association President who served as an advisor to Thomas Buergenthal, one of the three commissioners charged with resolving several high profile human rights cases and making overall recommendations to foster post-war reforms and reconciliation after the Salvadoran Civil War (1980—1992). Buergenthal is a former magistrate of the International Court of Justice; the two other commissioners were Belisario Betancur, the former president of Colombia, and Reinaldo Figueredo, the former foreign minister of Venezuela. EL FARO questioned Prof. Cassel about the integrity of the Commission’s report, and Cassel noted that no one has ever been able to mount a credible challenge to any of the Commission’s findings. Cassel was emphatic with regards to the Commission’s findings relating to Archbishop Romero’s assassination:

Q. Would you, as a lawyer, be in a position to maintain before a judge—to cite what might be the most famous case—that Roberto d’Aubuisson is responsible for the death of Oscar Arnulfo Romero?

A. Yes, without a doubt.

Q. Would you have been able to so maintain in a trial, had the report been binding? Do you believe that the information gathered by the Commission, set forth in the report, would be enough to convict Roberto d’Aubuisson?

A. If it had been possible to bring him into court, I think that it would have led to a conviction. None of the commissioners and none of the three advisers had the least doubt in this case, because we interviewed key witnesses, who knew what happened. But in a criminal case the question is whether these witnesses would have come forth voluntarily, and the answer, at least at that time was "no." They feared for their lives. It was in fact very difficult to convince them to give evidence to the Commission, even knowing that we would not disclose their identities.

Monday, February 06, 2012

In El Salvador, the Romero Foundation has chosen a passage from a 1979 homily as the theme for this year’s commemoration of the 32nd anniversary of Archbishop Romero’s martyrdom. “Our people have suffered enough!,” Romero said then. “I do not tire of pointing out the fact that if we want to effectively end the violence then we have to eliminate the root of this violence, namely, structural violence, social injustice, the inability of citizens to participate in the public life of the nation.” (September 23, 1979 Sermon.)

Mgr. Ricardo Urioste, president of the Romero Foundation, explains that the quote from the pre-civil war history of El Salvador has resonance in today’s post-civil war reality: If anything, “Monsignor’s cry for the people’s suffering would be more distressed today than it was then,” he argues. “The people suffer more intensely today than they did then.” Romero “spoke of the violence that lies at the root of all violence: social injustice and the lack of participation by ordinary citizens in the governance of the country,” Urioste explains. “The people are the first to suffer and the last to be taken into account.”

Remarkably, in the very 1979 sermon in question, Romero himself had pondered the applicability of his preaching to a peacetime context. “I am asked: And when tomorrow things have been settled, what will the Church do?,” he recounted. “I reply: It will keep on being the same.” He added, “It will feel fortunate if tomorrow in a more just order it need not speak about so many injustices, but it will always have the task of building itself on the foundation of the Gospel. We will have that work to do in times of peace or persecution.” Those words about building the Church the same way regardless of the circumstance might as well be the motto for commemorating Romero any year, as they speak to the timelessness of his message better than anything we might add to that reflection.

As it does every year, this year the Foundation’s commemorations center in San Salvador, where pilgrims visiting the city for the occasion would be offered visits to the Crypt in the San Salvador Cathedral where Archbishop Romero is buried, 8 am – 4:45 pm (with an 11:45 am – 2 pm recess Mon. – Sat.). The Divine Providence Hospital Chapel where Romero was gunned down on March 24, 1980 also is opening its door to visitors, Mon. – Sat., 9 am – 4 pm (with a 12 pm – 2 pm lunch break). The so-called “Little Holy Week” will take place Mon., March 19 to Sat., March 24 (the “Great Day”). All week, the Cathedral crypt will be showcasing a photographic exhibit featuring murals from San Salvador that honor Ab. Romero. There will be daily presentations in the Crypt at 4 in the afternoon on weekdays, featuring such notable speakers as Mgr. Miguel Angel Morán, the Bishop of San Miguel; José Jorge Simán, a businessman and friend of Romero; Carlos Ayala, the director of Catholic radio in San Salvador; Edín Martínez from the Romero foundation (who will speak about, “Our people have suffered enough!,” this year’s theme for the celebrations), and speakers from various religions united for peace.

The “Great Day” will feature the now traditional candlelit procession from the Divine Savior monument to the Cathedral steps, where Mgr. Elías Bolaños, the Bishop of Zacatecoluca, will say Mass at 7:30 pm, followed by the also customary all-night vigil and fireworks. If you plan to be in San Salvador, you should contact the Foundation and tell them Super Martyrio sent you!